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(No Model.)

A. G. DAY.

BREAST COLLAR 0R STRAP FOR HARNESS.

No. 339,271. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

M'tnessea rrn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AARON G. DAY, OF COLEBROOK, NE\V HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONF-HALF.TAll'IES T. PAR-SONS, OF SAME PLACE.

BREAST COLLAR OR STRAP FOR HARNESS.

EP'ECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,271, dated April6,1886.

Application filed December 15, 1885. Serial No. 185,761. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, AARON G. DAY, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Colebrook, in the county of Coos and State of NewHampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in BreastCollars or Straps for Horses; and I. do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswillenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention consists of an improved article of manufacture, whichcomprises a breast collar or strap, having the usual buckles andsuspending neckstrap, and is made of a stout piece of flexibleharness-leather of uniform width throughout its length, and formed witha concave-convex middle portion adapted to the shape of and fitting thebreast and shoulders olfahorse when it is bent and applied thereto, andhaving its end portions, which extend from said curved portion, inclineddownwardly with respect to a horizontal line, so that they, with theconcavo-convex portion, form very obtuse angles, the corners of whichare curved, and also that they shall stand on the same inclined straightlines with the traces when the breaststrap is applied upon a horse andbuckled or otherwise suitably connected to the traces.

In the accompanying drawings,- Figures 1 and 2 are illustrations of myimproved harness-leather flexible breaststrap as applied to a harnessedhorse. Fig. 3 is a front view of the strap, showing its form beforebeing bent or when out from a side or skin of harnessleather. Fig. 4 isa vertical cross-section of the strap in the line :10 a? of Fig. 3; andFigs. 5 and 6 are similar sections of two different ordinarybreast-straps, one comprising a stiffening-plate of metal and a coveringof thin leather, and the other a stiffening-piece of patent-leather anda covering of thin leather, these constructions being heretofore devisedby others as substitutes for the well-known and commonlyusedstraight-edged harnessleather flexible breast-strap.

A in the drawings represents my improved breaststrap, made of a singlethickness of 50 flexible harness-leathersay one-quarter to one-eighth ofan inch thick, or of a greater or less thickness, according to thestrain it may be required to heal-and provided with the usualtrace-connecting buckles, A, and neckstrap buckles A", and necksuspendingstrap 5 5 B, asshown.

In cutting the improved straps out of aside of harneSsleather, a patterncorresponding to the shape desired-say about as shown in Fig. 3isprepared, of a size suitable for breast- 6o straps for use on horses ofa common size, and after the first strap is cut by aid of this pattern,and the slight waste of material at the first end of the hideexperienced, no further waste will occur, except at the other end of thehide where the last strap is cut. The middle or breast-bearing portion,a, of the strap is concave on its upper edge and con vex on its loweredge, a", and the ends or shoulder-bearing portions (1. are straight- 7oedged, but inclined downward from ahorizontal line, as shown, formingwith the portion a very obtuse angles, the corners a of which are,respectively, convex and concave, as shown.

The several patterns of several different sets for different-sizedhorses will vary in size and in curvature of portion a and inclinationof portions 11*, accordingly as circumstances require. One pattern willanswer for a large number of horses of acommon size; but, if desired,the breast-straps may be out to suit particular horses.

In Fig. 5, 0 represents a stiffener of metal, and c a covering of thinleather; and in Fig. 6, 0" represents a stiffener of patent-leather, andc a covering of thin leather, both of these constructions being old.

In some uses of my breaststrap the traces may be formed with or uniteddirectly to it, in which construction the buckles A would be dispensedwith.

The invention herein described is the result of a discovery made by meafter much experience in the art to which it relates. By trial I foundthat a stiffener such as is used in the respective breast-straps shownin Figs.

5 and 6 could be dispensed with, because a stout harness-leatherflexible breast-strap will never change its form while in use, providedme that when it is manufactured it is cut to a shape which adapts it tolit the breast and shoulders of the horse and to unite with the traceson straight inclined lines, and this is due to the fact that thebreast-strap,when suspended by the usual neck-strap, just fits thebreast, bears high upon the horses shoulders, and is drawn upon in amanner which causes those portions of the inner surface of the strapwhich are in contact with the breast and shoulders of the horse tomaintain an unchanging relation thereto, the main pull coming up on theshoulder portions of the strap, and this action upon the strap nottending to disturb the bearing relation of the breast-portion.

Heretofore a breast-strap has been made of a piece of stoutharness-leather having a uniform width and straight edges, and while itanswers a better purpose than any other known strap, and is generallyadopted in preference to the straps shown in Figs. 5 and 6 on account ofits cheapness, flexibility, and safety against chafing, galling, andblistering the horse, it is not just what is wanted and absolutelyneeded, from the fact that it does not come up as high upon the horsesshoulders nor stand as low down away from the windpipe, as it should;nor flt the breast and shoulders of the horse perfectly, and owing tothese defects the horse does not have the entire benefit of his strengthwithout the legs or muscles of the shoulders being bound or hampered intheir action,and there is liability of the middle part of thestraight-edged strap being raised against the horses windpipe in such away as to choke, weaken, annoy, and wind the horse; and besides theseobjections the upper straight edge of the strap in time yields to theforce exerted upon it and bends or curls over, so as to become impairedand annoying to the horse, as well as unsightly.

The attempts made to obviate the abovementioned objections to thestraight-edged strapviz., by cutting a stiffener of either metal orcomparatively rigid patent-leather into a form which would fit thehorses breast and shoulders, and inclosing this stiffener by a coveringof thin leather, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6were of great use, inthat by thesev constructions the draft came high upon the shoulders,where the horse had the benefit of his full strength, without the legsor muscles of the shoulders being bound or ham 5o pered in their action,and at the same time the central portion of the breast-strap was notraised against the windpipe in such a way as to choke the horse or causeother annoyances; but such stiffened or covered straps have thedisadvantage of being much more expensive than the ordinarystraight-edged flexible breast-strap of harness-leather, and when theone with metal stiffener is used of cutting and wearing out the leathercovering very soon or breaking or bending and getting out of shape, andthus by not conforming to the shape of the horses shoulders, producinggalls and blisters or sores in cases of continuous hard work; and a likedisadvantage, but to a less degree, is experienced from the one with apieceof rigid patent-leather covered by thin leather, from the fact thatit is so in flexible as to make the horse uncomfortable, and the thinleather covering soon becomes crinkled or roughened, or often so worn asto expose the edge of the stiffener, and thereby subject the horse tothe annoyance of chafing or galling.

In the manufacture of my improved breast collar or straps it iscontemplated, when desirable, to ornament the same by stitching raisedflexible leather strips on the fronts thereof, as is commonly practiced;or the straps may be ornamented by embossing, as may be found desirable;but I find that the construction represented answers the best for thepurpose set forth.

What I claim is The within-described improved article of manufacture,consisting of a breast collar or strap for horses having the usualbuckles and suspending neck-strap, and made of a stout piece of flexibleharnessleather of a single thickness of about a uniform width throughoutits length, and formed with a concavoconvex middle portion adapted tothe shape and fitting the breast and shoulders of a horse, and havingits end portions inclined downwardly with respect to a horizontal line,substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

v AARON G. DAY.

Vitnesses:

JAMES I. PARSONS, WILLIAM D. TR-ESK.

